Spencer Strider (elbow) to start throwing progression

“Will he ever be a starter again? Would it be best to just use him as a reliever once he returns to health? These are the questions that are being asked as we await answers,” Bowman continues. Strider’s continued absence appears likely to have the Braves searching for starting pitching at the trade deadline. Redraft fantasy managers holding on to him in an IL spot don’t necessarily have to keep doing that based on this update.

Strider will be shut down from throwing until at least mid-July and won’t make it back to Atlanta’s rotation until at least mid-August in a best-case scenario. The 27-year-old hit the injured list with elbow inflammation last weekend. It’s challenging to justify stashing Strider outside of extremely deep fantasy leagues since he’s unlikely to return until the late stages of the second half.

If that follow-up scan is clear, Strider will then begin a throwing progression, which will include full ramp-up and then facing live hitters, etc. That means it’s likely two months before we see Strider on the mound for the Braves, if all goes well, and that would be mid-August. It’s hard to recommend holding him in any redraft format.

Strider is set to meet with Dr. Keith Meister, who performed Strider’s surgery in 2024, to “just provide an indication of what the next steps will be.” That means we should have a better idea of Strider’s timeline for recovery in a couple of days. Considering he wasn’t pitching at the same level we’re used to before this injury and is now dealing with, likely, a multi-week absence, he doesn’t need to be held in leagues without multiple IL spots.

Braves manager Walt Weiss told reporters late Friday that Strider will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury and whether he’s dealing with any structural issues. It’s an extremely concerning development given his injury history, which already includes two elbow surgeries. The 27-year-old former fantasy ace experienced a noticeable velocity dip, which lead to his removal from Friday’s start against the Mets in the fourth inning after just 68 pitches. There should be a definitive update on his status later this weekend. Top prospect JR Ritchie, who fired five shutout innings in relief following Strider’s departure, appears to be the most logical candidate to fill his rotation spot.

“It doesn’t look great as we stand here, right now,” said Weiss after Strider experienced shoulder and elbow soreness, which led to his early exit from the fourth inning of Friday’s start against the Mets after just 68 pitches. He also experienced a significant velocity drop prior to exiting, which is never a good sign, especially for a pitcher with two elbow surgeries already on his resume. He was charged with seven runs on six hits, including three home runs, in the abbreviated outing. He struck out three and issued one walk. He’ll undergo imaging to determine the exact nature of the injury. There should be a definitive update on his status at some point this weekend. It seems highly unlikely that he’ll make his next start against the Giants on Thursday. The logical choice to fill his rotation spot would be top prospect JR Ritchie, who threw five scoreless innings following Strider’s departure.

Strider saw the velocity on his fastball drop suddenly into the 87-88 mph range in the fourth inning, which prompted the visit from the training staff and his eventual removal. He’ll head for further evaluation. Strider allowed seven runs on six hits and a walk while striking out three in his three-plus innings of work. Stay tuned.

It wasn’t pretty, but Strider got the job done. There were not many clean innings as the command of his secondaries were not sharp. That’s a problem because Strider’s fastball remains an issue. Without the elite velocity or shape of yesteryear, that fastball doesn’t miss many bats anymore and forced a grand total of zero swings-and-misses in this one. He’s gotten by with his slider plus curveball and changeup especially against left-handed batters – and the Pirates’ lineup was nearly all lefties in this one – they just weren’t as sharp here. Strider will take a 4.00 ERA, 43 strikeouts, and 19 walks over 36 innings pitched into his next scheduled start against the Mets on the road.

Strider struck out eight, but the Reds managed single runs off him in the first, third, fourth and fifth innings. It’s the third straight outing in which Strider has allowed exactly three earned runs. However, that was the product of five homers allowed over his previous two starts. There were no homers today, just singles and doubles. He’s 3-1 with a 3.77 ERA, and he’s due to face the Pirates next.

Strider gave up homers to Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela to start the top of the first, but he allowed just one more hit the rest of the way. He stayed in to start the sixth with a 5-2 lead, only to be pulled after a leadoff walk to Wilyer Abreu. Abreu later came around to score. Strider finished up with five strikeouts and 11 whiffs. He’s 3-0 with a 3.46 ERA since returning from a strained oblique, and the Braves have won all five of his starts. He’ll face the Reds on Sunday.